Did you wait until the very last minute to get a Halloween costume together?

Well, being a last minute diva myself, I got your back!

Here are 5 DIY last-minute halloween costume ideas for you that are easy to put together and that can probably be compiled by the clothes you might have in your closet already! I created a collage for each look to inspire you... and who knows maybe one of these looks will speak to you. Let me know what you think, here they go::::

#1: Grease!

This costume is for the lady who owns a lot of black clothes... you got a pair of black pants? a black [off the shoulder] shirt? a black [p]leather jacket? Then get that hairspray out, red lipstick and red heels and you are set! Smokey dramatic eye makeup and your costume is done! #done&done

#2: Rosie the Riveter!
For the demim lover. I love this costume idea and might be doing it myself next year... The bandana can be found at any art&craft store and are usually only a $1! What I like about this look is that it does not require heavy makeup as I'd keep it simple with only some eyeliner with a wing at the edge and red lipstick (to match the bandana of course!). As for the hair, tie it up in a bun on the top of your head and wrap the bandana around it the way the working ladies kept their hair out of their face when working the bomb factories during the war II.

#3: Cowgirl!
Do you own a pair of cowboy boots? Well, then you should know I am jealous of you. I'm on the hunt for some cowboy boots myself, but if you already own some them this last minute costume idea might work for you! I chose a pair of jeans but they can easily be substituted with a denim skirt too. Plaid button down shirt, cowboy hat and a belt (preferably with a big o' belt buckle) will complete this cowgirl look. The hair and makeup is up to you and your preference... either two braids or worn down will work... and makeup can be bold or neutral as this look lends to you customizing it.

#4: Get your Mime on!
Got a stripe shirt in your closet and black pants? Then get yourself some white halloween makeup and then get your mime on! A last minute costume favorite of mine. I actually convinced my husband to be a mime last year, so this look can be applied to men (minus the red heels & lipstick if he'd rather not, ha). I gave two options for the shoes, as I think a pair of red shoes would make the costume pop, but black shoes would work just as well. I also think the costume can be worn with heels or simple ballet flats. The hardest part of this costume would be committing to not talking and instead miming all night, which would be hard for me, but it's a great way to get out of awkward conversation huh? :)

#5: Frida Kahlo up in here!
Now you know I could not compose these last minute costume collages without a Frida Kahlo mention! Only my most favorite last-minute costume ever because it lends to so many options... I listed a few ideas... but basically a long skirt (frida had a shriveled leg from her bus accident and only wore long skirts and pants to hide it) I chose black for my costume collage, but honestly, any color will do as Frida LOVED colorful clothing. An ideal shirt would be one of Mexican design, tribal print will also do, but also FLOWER print would do too, anything colorful. Then grab your biggest necklace, some chandelier earrings a shawl and you are practically done! I went with boots for my look, but you can wear heels if you prefer. The major player of this outfit is the flower crown. You MUST have flowers in your hair! I usually buy some fake flowers from the dollar store (or craft store) and cut them to leave a short stem and stick them in my braided hair. Lastly, don't forget to draw in a unibrow with an eyebrow pencil! watch my Frida Kahlo hair+makeup tutorial for tips in achieving this look.

My first official job was at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. I was 16 years old and my art teacher in High School recommended me for the paid internship and I was lucky enough to get it. I took the bus from Little Village into downtown every Saturday morning for 2 years and got to work with so man amazing artists! My artistic appetite grew more each session as I worked alongside many artists assisting in their youth classes (collage class, painting classes, theater classes, architecture classes, dance, music & more) and had the opportunity to experiment in different art forms. Little did I know was also prepping me to work as a teaching artist myself in the future.

One of the [many] perks of working at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) was that I had the amazing opportunity to exhibit a series of paintings at the Museum at the age of 18! I had no idea the magnitude of this opportunity at the time, all I knew is that it was the best job ever. :) Therefore, it is no wonder I enjoy my visits to the MCA, my son and I visited this summertime, they had live jazz on the patio and we ate veggie burgers on the lawn then walked around and soaked in the glitter floors.. and all that jazz the modern art world has to offer within the museum.

Seeing red. at the park, i spotted a bright red brick wall and couldn't resist... i wanted a picture. I wanted to test the red brick wall for a possible photo-shoot I am planning with some new models I am recruiting for the launch of my new website for Mano y Metal. (don't even get me started on that one! SO MUCH WORK- hours upon HOURS it is taking me to build a new website~taking me forever-- ugh.) So, even though the hubs acts unaffected by my (over)enthusiasm to take a picture every chance I get...acts like its silly (my wanting to take pictures all the time) ~which it might very well be.., luckily I don't care. ha!

And never mind my freezy hair, I had braids & took them out on a humid day, hence, frizz was unavoidable. Anyway, back to the wall, whoever decided to paint it red, thank you, 'cause I might be back to use it as a back drop again. :) And as per usual, a shout-out to the guy behind the camera (er, iphone camera) who humored me and not only took my pictures, but also pretended he didn't like having his pictures taken when I couldn't get over the green socks against the red wall. Its in the details after all.

So what do you think of the red brick wall? too bright? I think with a black dress and the right jewelry, it can work..... what do you think?

So much has happened this year, ---this summer as a matter of fact. But aside from the ups and downs of it all, the best part is that I get to spend time with my son all summer... this is the first summer since he was 1 yr. old that I do not work at the cubicle... I am not confined to a 9-5 schedule where I have to shuffle him off to a summer camp and miss him all day. I'm not going to deny that it has been exhausting because he is full of energy around the clock.. but he keeps me on my toes and is the funnest person to spend my time with. We have made our own "field trips" which is basically us picking a destination and heading on an adventure. I like this age.. he turned 7 years old this summer... and I like the mobility of this age, we wake up, get dressed and go, no diaper bag, no stroller, just pick up and go... it is a fun age to experience as a parent, although, I see flickers of "pre-teen attitude" more often than I'd like to, I love the freedom this summer has allowed me to explore with him. Also, he takes pretty fantastic photos for being 7 yrs. old, another grand perk of hanging out with him. heehee.

He is in a "Lego" phase which means, a little lego creation has to travel with is wherever we go. Despite my best efforts to describe the worst case scenario of someone bumping into him while carrying his Lego creation and sending it falling to the ground in a dozen pieces, he just responds: "well, I will hold it tight so that doesn't happen." of course, did I mention I get flickers of "pre-teen"attitude from him? Answer for everything. Anyway. it got to the point that he didn't want to take pictures unless I held his Lego creation in the shot with me. Negotiations happen all day over here. Never a dull moment.

Has it seriously been two weeks already since I had the pleasure of vending for the 3rd year in a row at Chicagos's Pitchfork Music Festival 2013?! Preparing for the fest is the reason my etsy shop had to go on vacation mode for a few weeks because I go into panic mode right before vending at a huge show. I get a rush of anxiety (that lasts for days) stemming from the nagging voice that insists that I don't have enough time to produce all the inventory I envision and scribble on my "to-create" list(s)... Anyway, I closed down my etsy shop temporarily to eliminate the pressure of tending to it and focus majority of my attention on preparing... for the big 3 day festival! Friday, Saturday, & Sunday from 10am-10pm..

The night before, in typical Desiree fashion, I stood up all night prepping last minute items, displays and so fourth until 7am! Yep, saw the sunset... and then saw the sunrise without sleeping a wink..

Does anyone else do that? Night-owls unite!

Only had time to shower and sleep for an hour until my son woke me up at 8am and I forced myself awake--and got my vending face on! (thank goodness for the magical powers of under-eye make-up! just sayin')

I believe in a color-blocking system! Actually, I'm just attracted to bright colors and love contrasting these vibrant shades of color blocks against my hand stamped pieces.

Here is a short video I posted on my instagram that's a collage of what I took to Pitchfork this year. Also, have I mentioned how fun I find the video option on Instagram?

A HUGE SHOUT-OUT to my BFF Mayra for being my ride or dye gurl and vending with me in the crazy heat for the 3rd year in a row at Pitchfork Music Festival!

I cannot do it without her! She is absolutely amazing and I LOVE having her at my side year after year at pitchfork, so much fun when you have your BFF there! :)

And another HUGE SHOUT-OUT to my baby brother Johnny for vending with me too and being our muscle the entire weekend!

He carried ALL the heavy stuff, balanced on chairs and put up the tarps and banners for us, took them down, and hauled the dolly up and down the cracked sidewalk to and from our car every night. This was the first year the vendors were allowed to bring TWO helpers to vend with them, so it was the first year me and Mayra had some help with all the grunt work of ste-up and break-down each day.

THANK YOU JOHNNY!

Also, since we had a 3rd person vending with us (my baby bro), that meant me and Mayra got to explore the festival together for the 1st time ever! So we wandered around and shopped for our annual sunglasses haul. :)

So, every year there is an air-conditioned tent featured sponsored by a selected company and this year it was H&M hosting the air conditioned party! Inside their tent was a live DJ, free nail art station, hair station, iphone charging stations and the funnest booth where you got to dance and create a gif that would be featured on the giant screen in the back of the tent.. naturally, while charging my phone with my friend Ricky, we wandered into the dance booth and made the gif shown below that I uploaded on my instagram.

One of the great things about vending at pitchfork is that we run into so many friends each year and I love when my amigos y amigas stop by my tent to say hello and hang out!

The third day of pitchfork is always the smoothest to set-up as we have had two days of practice, we are half-way through our inventory and we are ready to face the heat with a cooler packed of goodies.

I did end up staying up again (i basically didn't sleep for several days :) on saturday night to finish off a collection of enamel necklaces that I had been working on and finally debuted on the 3rd and final day of Pitchfork.. including the reversible necklace I'm wearing in the picture above. Below is a short video I posted on instagram featuring the new enamel necklaces that I am hoping to have in my online shop soon!-- so yea, consider this short vid a sneak peek <3

Overall, the weekend was awesome! We did get rained out an hour early each night, and although that cut into the sales at the end of each day, there was no denying the fun we had. Especially in that dancing booth. :)

a short video we made in the H&M tent!

These two pictures below might very well sum up the relationship my brother and I have together... I might embarrass him and be loud and crazy, while he is more chill and prefers not to call attention to himself. ha. It was so much fun having my baby brother there with me this year!

and the trick is to wrap all of the above inventory & displays into a rain proof portable package as pictured below! :) #magic

and I couldn't have done it without these two homies of mine.

Once again, a huge THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart to my bff Mayra and my baby brother Johnny for hanging with me all weekend in the 100 degree weather, rain, hustle and vending madness that is Pitchfork Music Fest! Hope we get to vend there together again for many more years to come! Y'all are the best! <3